LEGO Universe will close its blocky plastic doors as of January 31, 2012, reports Gamasutra, which is just 15 months after launch (though it seems this is not yet note on the website of the toy-based MMORPG). They have a statement form the LEGO Group explaining: "In spite of very positive player feedback and a large number of players in the free play zone, it has not been possible to convert a satisfactory number of players to paying subscribers." Oddly, a welcome back weekend is now underway for former players of the game.

Minecraft is for structures. If they'd gone for a vehicle based approach (if you made lego houses as a kid, I'm afraid you had a critical lack of imagination, the cool dudes were building spaceships and 64 wheeled rocket powered helicopter tanks) they might have garnered the AFOL market too.

Charge money for bricks, make it desirable for kids to invite other kids to their worlds to see what they've built, and add a disco with a ton of selectable music so they will want to have parties. Watch the money come flowing in as the kids try and build better party houses. I can't believe they thought a subscription was the way to go here lol.

As is not uncommon with MMOs, devs shouldn't make them thinking they will get WoW type numbers. They need to develop them and design them such that they can survive with a far lower number of customers. I know family whose 9 year old son has asked for lego subscription cards for his gifts since this came out, so I know that some people pay for it.

My guess is that lego thought that their brand name alone would get millions of paying customs.

Blackhawk wrote on Nov 5, 2011, 02:07:Lego Universe is targeted at kids the same age as my own. The very same kids who play Roblox, with 100 times the content, for free. My kids tried LU. It never drew them in - there was far to little freedom and actual building, and far to much running in circles hitting enemies. They played for two or three days, then went right back to Roblox.

Totally agree - got it for my son last christmas. I made an account too so I could help him when he got stuck. After 3 evenings of very little play I'd maxxed my character! No content at all - shame because it was quite a nice game.

The game might have survived as a box only purchase. The game was TOO concerned with appealing to under 10 year olds that it neglected teen, young adult, and adult LEGO fans that would have loved to see a "Second Life in LEGO" type of game. The actual game was basically an oversimplified version of the console Lego action/adventure games without any of the charm or licensing.

As for actual building you were limited to teeny little parcels building static structures. I guess I was expecting freedom to build flying machines ala Garry's Mod or other vehicles.

As others have said, most of us are quite content building things in Minecraft.

Lego Universe is targeted at kids the same age as my own. The very same kids who play Roblox, with 100 times the content, for free. My kids tried LU. It never drew them in - there was far to little freedom and actual building, and far to much running in circles hitting enemies. They played for two or three days, then went right back to Roblox.

From what I've heard, this was marketed to young kids which makes me not surprised that it couldn't convert enough people to paying subscribers. This isn't the market for paying customers, young adults and up tend to be the ones that pay from what I've heard (since they tend to hold a credit card and less time to grind for the objects, unlike teens and children).

It actually sounded kind of cool to me. I never tried it because it looked like it was targeted at grade schoolers. That just seemed like I wouldn't be able to build a rocket car and launch it into Mrs. Nesbit's House for Orphans.